Rheumatology 2003; 42: 1569-1570
© 2003 British Society for Rheumatology
Letter to the Editor |
Reply
Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Hospital General No. 46, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Correspondence to:
F. J. Aceves-Avila, Colomos 2292, Col. Providencia, Guadalajara, Jalisco, CP44620, Mexico. E-mail: fjaceves{at}megared.net.mx
SIR, We were unaware of the description presented by Dr Hansen in his letter (Peri thôn énthos pathôn, Chapter 41). Although Erotianus does not mention this treatise among the Hippocratic corpus, it was well known to Galen, who cites it by diverse names [1]. This treatise belongs to the Cnydian school, which is characterized by the prescription of diverse purgatives and by the frequent use of cauterization. This description of therapeutic arthrocentesis is older than those we present. Nowadays, the rarity of prescription of such a method in ancient European medical literature, which we defend in our paper, is reinforced by his letter. Despite the authority these texts had in medicine through almost 2000 yr, therapeutic arthrocentesis was not a method that was in general use and was not well known to regular physicians, as we defend in our paper and as the new references cited by Dr Hansen confirm.
References
- Alamillo-Sanz A, Lara-Nava MD. Affecciones internas. In: Tratados Hipocráticos, Vol. VI. Editorial Gredos S.A. Madrid. 1990.
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